From a recent email, USA Pickleball shared some cool insights from the 2022 Margaritaville USA Pickleball National Championships. The sport's premier event wrapped up last week at the world-class Indian Wells Tennis Garden while setting the record for the largest in-person crowd to ever witness pickleball.
And with nearly 2,300 amateur players qualifying from 48 states — in addition to the world's top pro players — it truly was a showcase for the best-of-the-best in our sport. As a member of USA Pickleball, you share in all our success as pickleball continues to grow and be embraced at all levels — whether you're a recreational player, a tournament regular or a National Champion!
Be sure to catch a special two-hour TV show on ESPNU, featuring the gold-medal match for pro women's doubles with Anna Leigh Waters and Catherine Parenteau versus Jessie Irvine and Anna Bright. The broadcast will air on Monday, November 28 at 5 p.m. ET; check local listings. To watch some of the other action from Indian Wells free and on-demand, be sure to visit the event website's Live @ Nationals page.
We are excited to return to Indian Wells Tennis Garden in 2023. Dates for the 2023 National Championships, along with the schedule of qualifying events, will be announced in the near future. (Remember, only USA Pickleball members are eligible to compete in these tournaments, so be sure to renew at usapickleball.org before your annual membership expires.)
Here's a quick overview of this year's National Championships...
By the Numbers:
5,522 fans on Championship Sunday, setting a record for the highest attendance at a pickleball event
2,291 players — including amateur, professional and senior professional athletes — formed one of the largest-ever fields for a USA Pickleball-sanctioned tournament
$150,000 pro prize purse, one of the richest in the sport
102 USA Pickleball-certified referees
303 volunteers
60 singles brackets and 116 doubles brackets
3,455 hours of competition
4,158 total matches
Other Highlights Included:
Anna Leigh Waters, 15, captured the first National Championships triple crown of her career, winning gold in the Women’s Singles, Women’s Doubles, and Mixed Doubles competitions. Waters and top-ranked men’s player Ben Johns dominated the medal count on the professional side of competition, with Johns taking home gold in Men’s Singles and Men’s Doubles, as well as silver in Mixed Doubles.
A new doubles event was also introduced to the National Championship competition roster this year: Mixed Pro Split/Age, with Anna Bright and Dave Weinbach claiming the first-ever title in this bracket.
This year's competition marked the first National Championships in which EVERY match was officiated by a USA Pickleball-certified referee.
The Class of 2022 for the Pickleball Hall of Fame was honored on Nov. 12 at Championship Court following the Induction Ceremony earlier in the week. The inductees were Norm Davis, Pat Kane, Larry Moon and Wesley Gabrielsen.
Photos by Steve Taylor (aerial shot) and Bruce Yeung (Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters).
